Seven new generation geostationary satellites will be launched into positions over the equator within the next five years. These launches will drastically change the Space Component of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services are challenged to prepare for the advanced capabilities the satellites will offer. The imager capabilities, sampling rate, spectral resolution and spectral channels, of this new generation of satellites will drastically increase data rates – by an order of up to 100. All National Meteorological Hydrological...

Risk is a forward looking concept that implies an eventuality of something that can occur. Therefore, assessing risk means looking at the possible events that can occur, quantifying how likely they are to happen and appraising the potential consequences should they occur.

Hazard information is fundamental for calculating risks of disasters before they occur and for documenting the losses and damage afterwards. This article focuses on the role of information about hazards and extreme events in documenting associated losses and damage.

The UN Climate Summit brought together 100 Heads of State and Government, along with chief executives from the financial world, business and civil societies to give new momentum to the search for answers to the challenges posed by climate change.

The “Climate Services Adaptation Programme in Africa” is the first multi-agency initiative to be implemented under the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). This flagship programme will help develop user-driven climate services for food security, health and disaster risk reduction in Malawi and Tanzania. The Programme, funded by the Government of Norway, aims to increase the resilience of those most vulnerable to the impacts of weather and climate-related hazards, such as droughts and flooding, and associated health risks, including malnutrition, cholera and malaria.

Air quality, weather and climate, and human health are closely linked. These interdependencies are becoming ever more evident and health professionals ever more reliant on meteorological and climate services to help anticipate and manage the health risks of poor air quality.

The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States was held from 1 to 4 September in Apia, Samoa. It focused the world’s attention on a group of countries that remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular ulnerabilities. The overarching theme was “The sustainable development of small island developing States through genuine and durable partnerships”. Confirming its strong commitment to Small Island Developing States, WMO played an active role in the event.

How severely will climate change affect different regions the United States? It depends on climate policy, says new research by the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. The US National Climate Assessment, released this spring by the White House, describes a troubling array of climate woes, from intense droughts and heat waves to more extreme precipitation and floods, all caused by climate change.

At international, national and local levels, there is a drive to improve access for women to technology, information, science education and technical training and to strengthen the position of women scientists and technologists. Ensuring that women have equal access to science education and technology is an essential catalyst to ensure that the developers and users of weather, water and climate services provided by WMO and its Members serve the global community – men, women, boys, girls.

Across the United States of America and around the globe, extreme weather is wreaking havoc on increasingly vulnerable communities. Coastal populations are growing and development is expanding into higher risk areas such as floodplains and wildlands. Sea level is rising. Over the past 30 years, losses related to geophysical, meteorological, hydrological and climatological events over the past 30 years have risen three to fourfold in the United States.